The village of Cochem dates back to the Celtic and Roman times so naturally it should have a castle almost as old. Officially referred to as the Reichsburg Cochem, the castle dates back to the year 1130. Unfortunately the many wars in the region required the castle to be restored in 1868 to its original Gothic Revival style. Today the castle serves as a key tourist attraction and offers daily tours available in just about every language you can think of. Not to take away from the castle, but the linguistic skills held by our tour guide was impressive as he went through no less than 10 different languages to make sure all in the group had the appropriate fact sheet. Back to the castle.....a view from across the village at sunset.
Our arrival was late in the afternoon and much past the last tour of the day. No problem, we will enjoy the village tonight and then focus on the castle tomorrow. Walking around Cochem during the winter season offered some great views of holiday decorations and the Christmas Market (more on that in a blog entry forthcoming).
Downtown Cochem just after sunset.
One of the main side streets. It never gets old walking down these type of narrow streets filled with boutiques.
Walking over the bridge and looking back to the village.
The entrance to our hotel, Lohspeicher.
Some free advertising for the hotel. The room was great, the location was ideal, and the food in the restaurant was beyond words. After dinner we were in search of a good dessert. In spite of our best efforts we could not find something that would cure our craving for something sweet. That is until we arrived at our hotel. They offer a sampler that includes about 7 different desserts, all incredibly delicious. But wait, we're not done talking about the amazing food served here. The room includes breakfast, so we headed down early the next morning expecting to find some bread and typical German-style offerings. Uh, no. They offered that and more. Fresh cooked eggs, fresh juice, natural yogurt with muesli.....the breakfast was just as good as the desert offering. Amazing. If you visit Cochem, we highly recommend staying at the Lohspeicher Hotel.
Prying ouselves from the hearty breakfast we headed out in the general direction of the castle. Our goal was to make it there in time for the first tour (11am). Did I mention that the castle is located on the top of a peak that overlooks the village? Yeah, hiking up a series of hills with a stomach full of great food required a slower than normal pace. The benefit was stopping to take in some great sights.
We finally arrived and Andrea is ready to storm the castle.
The views looking down on the village and Mosel river from the castle are worth the effort.
Of course every castle located along the Mosel river should have it's own vineyard. Check.
The tour included going through a number of rooms including the main dining hall.
Everywhere you looked was architecture that made you wonder: how did they do this in the early 1100's? Answer: by hand. Lots and lots of 'by hand' work. Amazing.
Stepping out on the covered patio you get a good view of the Mosel river and Cochem. Talk about a room with a view.
The armour on the right was about 7 feet tall and the armour to the left was about 4 feet tall, which is why it probably looked so "un-used".
The main court yard in the castle with the well in the background.
Looking up at the outside south wall of the castle.
With the tour complete, we left in somewhat of a hurry to find a hot beverage. We did stop to admire the view of the castle found during the daytime.
We really loved Cochem for it's location and attractions. Given the short drive, this will be one of the first places we visit once the winter season officially leaves the building.
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